From Orbison's debut LP Sings Lonely and Blue
(1961)

After struggling to find an identity through his years at Sun
Records in the late 50s, Orbison discovers a persona and style that mark the
remainder of his career when he moves over to Monument Records in 1960. There,
Orbison assumes the mantle of the wounded balladeer who sings of loneliness and
pain, maintaining a timid distance from the love and security that he desires.
Gone is the raucous, almost silly tone of some of his earlier efforts on Sun
(i.e.
"Ooby
Dooby" or
"Go!
Go! Go!"). So, too, is the surface grit that those Sun recordings attempted
to assert. In its place, though, is a deeper well of emotion and, although the
somewhat dainty production of the songs might belie the intensity of the lyrics
and vocal performance, Orbison here is taking his first steps towards rock and
roll immortality.

Select hit singles from the 1960s

Fully in stride as a performer,
Orbison is also at his best here as a recording singer/songwriter. Orbison's
success with ballads continue, but he also crafts what is probably his
best-known song, the rocker "Oh, Pretty Woman." This is his commercial peak and
is the era for which he is best remembered.

From Class of '55 (1986)

After nearly 20 years in the
commercial and critical wilderness, Orbison begins to emerge again. The
Class Of '55 session, where he is joined by fellow Sun Records alums
Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash, is a look back, but ultimately
serves as a major, though somewhat forgotten, step forward in reviving his
career.

From Black and White Night (recorded 1987, released 1989)

Orbison's return to the mainstream limelight, here with a little help
from his friends. Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, Tom Waits,
kd Lang and several other top-shelf musicians joined Orbison at this concert, a
review of his career, which was now entering its fascinating, if unlikely, final
phase.

From The Traveling Wilburys, Volume One (1988)

The
brainchild of Orbison acolytes Jeff Lynne and George Harrison, The Traveling
Wilburys emerged in 1988 with an album that was as successful commercially as it
was critically, rising to #3 on Billboard's "Hot 100". A rare
supergroup with charm and good songs, Orbison, Harrison, Lynne, Bob Dylan and
Tom Petty found great success with this project. Underscoring both that Orbison
was a crucial early rock and roll influence on his bandmates as well as a
modern, relevant artistic force, his contributions to the Wilburys project stand
as some of his finest work.

From Mystery Girl (1989)

Completed shortly before his death
and released posthumously, Mystery Girl is the final step in Orbison's
comeback. A coterie of stars contributed songs to the album (Bono and The Edge
from U2, Elvis Costello, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and others) and Orbison also
renewed his songwriting partnership with Bill Dees, with whom he had co-written
classics like "Oh, Pretty Woman" and "It's Over." Rising to #5 on the
Billboard's "Hot 100" and eventually going double platinum,
Mystery Girl was Orbison's most successful album and a suitable
farewell to the legendary singer and songwriter.